The Golden Flashes should be one of the most talented, tallest and deepest teams in the conference underneath the basket with Melvin Tabb, Mark Henniger and Khaliq Spicer, all 6 feet 9, in addition to 6-8 Chris Ortiz and 6-5 Darren Goodson. Senderoff says that Marquiez Lawrence, a 6-8, 200-pound freshman from Marion-Franklin, provides energy. Point guard will be in the capable hands of junior Kris Brewer. Sophomore K.K. Simmons, a combo guard, is eligible after transferring from North Carolina-Wilmington.

Exclamation points

Brewer did a little bit of everything as a sophomore, averaging 9.1 points and 2.7 assists and coming up with 32 steals. His most important statistic was averaging 30.1 minutes while starting 28 of 35 games. Brewer is as smart as he is quick. Goodson is a strong inside player who can be intimidating on defense. He averaged 8.4 points and 3.8 rebounds.

Question marks

Who takes over for the Big Two? Departed Chris Evans (16.2) and Randal Holt (14.7) were fifth and eighth in the conference in scoring and took a majority of the big shots in important games. Holt led the MAC with 89 three-pointers. Simmons and fellow guards Derek Jackson, a transfer from Central Michigan, and Devareaux Manley are being counted on to contribute right away.

Outlook

The Flashes are picked to finish fourth in the division. They have lost two stars, but the program has been all about grooming top-notch replacements while winning at least 20 games in 14 of the past 15 seasons.